


Macchiatos, Bouquets, and Other Things We Make at Midnight

by MeeemWho



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: 3 pages of just world building in my docs, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Family Dynamics, Language of Flowers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ryomarx centric, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Swearing, extremely extensive au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-22 13:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17663222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeeemWho/pseuds/MeeemWho
Summary: Two places stood out in this busy college town, and two families fought to try and make it only theirs. However, the more and more they bumped into each other and fought, the more they realized how much they have in common.(Also known as the time two families became one through a peppermint macch and a gardenia bouquet.)A Fates Coffeeshop/Florist AU





	1. The Event - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> \--- = signifies a change in POV

Ryoma pressed his fingers to his temples as Sakura loaded the last centerpiece into the passenger's seat. Every inch of the van covered with vases, vines, baubles and arrangements they’ve been preparing for weeks. 

Hinoka walked up with a clipboard, her hair held back with a simple white headband as she turned the sheets over.

“Takumi just put the tablecloths into his car. Mom will take Sakura and I while you take the van. We have everything loaded and ready.” She tapped the board twice for good measure.

Ryoma let out a sigh of brief relief. “Alright, and we should still be 20 minutes early.”

Takumi yelled from across the parking lot, “Whenever you’re ready!”

Ryoma gave a thumbs up and opened the van door. “I’ll see you there sister.”

As Hinoka walked off to join his other sibling and mother, Ryoma started up the van. He adjusted the collar of his shirt emblazoned with their red logo and took off his cap. He took one more look back to ensure everything was stable. And slowly, he backed out of their store’s gravel lot and out onto the road.

Today was the opening of Valla College’s new music activity center. The commission had come in some time ago. They were to be an integral part of the presentation and had to make pieces for every section of the center. From practice rooms, to offices, meeting rooms, and two concert halls. Ryoma and his siblings had spent nearly all of the last 72 hours cutting, arranging, and getting much less than the recommended amount of sleep. He watched his sisters pass by as he carefully turned onto the main road to the college. Not much longer now.

He turned into one of the college access roads behind his mother. She was talking to someone over the gate speaker and he looked back for Takumi’s car. It was absent, which was strange considering his usual driving habits. The small bar cutting them off from the access road lifted and they continued on their way.

The building was remarkable as they approached it. The outer walls made of an opaque glass patterned with music notes and dancing figures, accented with white stone around the windows. The school had lacked a building dedicated to the arts for years now and he had heard students talking about it excitedly while studying at the shop. As he started to look for the loading dock however, he noticed something that made him grip the steering wheel.

A black van with words plastered on the side in purple and white.

“Nohrian Scones: Coffee and Pastries with a family flair”

He scoffed. Of course the people in charge had no taste buds to hire that business. Their pastries all just reheated garbage from the superstore. As long as they didn’t have to work around them too much, all should be fine.

Just as he thought the words, he noticed the building had only one loading zone, which would force them to park close together.

Because of course they did.

He sighed as he put the car into park and got out.

His youngest sister ran up and opened the back doors. They had agreed to wear the same white shop uniform today to try and make a good impression. Sakura had put some of the fallen blossoms in her hair, which Ryoma found unbearably adorable. His other sister had only personalized her outfit with the white headband keeping her short bangs out of her face. She started to untie the straps holding everything in place as their mother was still next to her car, seemingly in a frantic conversation.

Ryoma took on a worried expression as he walked over to his mother. Mikoto had her hair up in her signature ponytail and hairpiece and fidgeted with one of the strands as she talked quickly to the person on the line.

“No. Stay there, I’ll send Hinoka to get the table cloths. It should be fine, it’s just the front right? … Don’t worry it will just be a few minutes. Okay. I love you.”

Ryoma caught her eye as she put down her phone.

“Takumi was in an accident.”

His eyes widened and he felt a cold sweat on his palms.

“He was rear ended, but the car and your brother should be fine.” Mikoto tried to give him a little smile to calm him down.

“He’s upset?”

“Of course he is. He’s gone three years without an accident and you’ll never believe who he happened to run into.”

Images of a certain blond teenager appeared in his mind.

“A Nohr?”

“Leo.”

Of course it was Leo. Their rival's son of about the same age. He rubbed his temples again as he thought about the coming day. An entire day with the most stuck up family he knew, and the sun had just barely risen.

And that was only the beginning.

\-----

Xander locked his phone and put it face down on the table. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to decide who to send to get the extra coffee warmers Leo would no longer be delivering.

Of course that daredevil of a son the Hoshido’s had got into a wreck with his brother on one of the biggest days this year. Not only was their presence needed for a brunch befitting of several important figures, but this was also one of the few times they could get publicity on campus.

Camilla came up and put down several serving trays behind her brother.

“What’s wrong?”

“Leo got into an accident with Takumi, of all people.”

Camilla let out a scoff of disgust.

“I guess you won’t be very pleased with the vendors they chose for decorating the venue then.” She sighed.

Xander rolled his eyes. Of course the people in charge had no taste in art to hire that business. Their arrangements reeked of corporate guidelines and unoriginality. But as long as they stayed away from their tables, it should be fine.

“Camilla, would you mind going and getting the coffee pots from Leo. Elise and I can handle it for a while.”

“Of course I can. I need to grab a pin from my car anyway.” As if to prove her point, the button on her shirt popped open again.

Xander chuckled. Maybe agreeing to all wear a similar black button up uniform shirt wasn’t the best idea for his sister.

He followed her outside to grab some things from the van. Right next to it was the ever gaudy van of Hoshido Blooms, declaring it to have “Beauty. Nature. Unique designs.” Bright red and white stripes covered pictures of tulips and other flowers on the sides. Xander always preferred the text and design of his own family’s van.

He opened the side door and began to assemble the cart for the serving trays. They had brought a variety of pastries that would have to be carefully wrapped and taken care of. He had the two tier cart ready to go in just under a minute and tried to run through the most efficient way to unload the food.

It didn't help that a certain brunette was barking orders just behind his vehicle.

“Hinoka! Take mom's car and grab the things out of your brother's car. Sakura if you could help me with the large pieces first. Mother will be back soon with the full layout plans.”

Xander could feel his annoyance rising with every command Ryoma gave. It even made him accidentally grab the tray of croissants first without thinking. With a groan he put them back down. The scones should be the first to start warming up. They had the most mass and would take the longest to reach optimal serving temperature. Five trays, each with a variety of Xander's finest flavors, from a sweet blackberry to a savory basil. He had spent the better part of two days preparing and baking, and he wasn't going to serve them cold.

He put two on the bottom and two on top, each one piled high with scones and covered with plastic wrap. He didn't want to risk then toppling over. Better to make several trips than one. He pushed the cart away from the van to close the doors-

Where it was immediately knocked over by an idiot moving backwards.

As if in slow motion, Xander watched as Ryoma stepped on top of the lower tier, his foot crushing days of work. Then as his balance shifted, he tried to adjust but the weight of the massive arrangement he was carrying kept his course to stay right on top of his work.

\---

In a blink, Ryoma was on the ground. The centerpiece of the venue knocked out of his hands and finely painted ceramic met concrete. The arrangement almost as wide as he was tall exploded, destroying what may have been an entire weeks worth of work, sending water and floral foam everywhere.

He barely even registered his head knocking over a small cart.

For a moment. Ryoma sat there, taking in the situation.

Then he looked up and saw Xander's cold, stoic face.

Looking over their situation, soggy scones and broken flowers all over the loading zone, they both took one second to determine the same thing.

The negligence of the other person may have just ruined the entire event.

Ryoma was the first to explode.

“You- Your cart!”

“What do you mean my cart?” Xander replied, his voice strained. “Why were you trying to carry a comically large piece by yourself?”

Ryoma stood up, facing his opponent. “I’m sorry I was trying to be helpful and carry in the centerpiece of the program unlike you with, some bread!”

Xander’s eyes narrowed, his dark red eyes sharpening. “If you had any sort of common sense you might know that those are our name sake you just dumped onto the ground. It’s obvious you don’t have any by the way you just backed into a cart.”

Ryoma was getting flustered, feeling his cheeks heat. “Well at least I’m considerate of my surroundings, unlike when you pushed out your cart right into the middle of the road!”

Xander seemed to be taken back, he quickly looked to the cart, which was quite a ways out, and back to Ryoma.

The inch of height difference between the two of them was really starting to piss Ryoma off.

“Could you be any more clumsy, Ryoma?”

“Could you be any more inconsiderate, Xander?”

They locked eyes in a glare. Steel eyes meeting crimson. A blade could have cut clean through the tension they made.

Only broken by Elise walking towards them.

“Xander?”

Ryoma took a second to blink. “Ah, Elise.”

Xander interrupted him.  
“Elise. Don’t mind us. Ryoma and I were just about to clean up the mess he made.”

Ryoma shot a deadly glare towards him.

Elise took a second to look between the two of them, trying to weigh out the possible actions she could take.

“I’ll just, leave you both to it.”

She very cautiously, went into the van, grabbed two displays, and slipped back into the building.

It was a very tense few minutes of picking up soggy scones and limp lilies. The thought briefly popped in Ryoma’s mind to stuff a scone or two into Xander’s hair. He didn’t act on it, however. He had some sense of class at least.

Thankfully he also was smart enough to have trash bags in the van. And they were able to pick up everything by the time Camilla and Hinoka returned. Ryoma picked up the full trash bag and tossed it over his shoulder.

“Xander. Don’t worry.” He grit his teeth. “I’ll take the mess you made to the dumpster. Don’t worry.”

Ryoma didn’t give him a chance to reply as he started walking towards the back of the building. He walked past Hinoka who tried to give him a wave.

“Ryoma?”

Why did Xander have to be so cold, he thought. I mean, he barely even got angry. If the damn pastries really meant anything to him he would have at least yelled. And now he just ruined the main piece of the entire building. You can’t just reheat it like a dessert. I have to ask mother if we can grab a live plant, but I doubt anywhere would have birds of paradise or even be open today. If it wasn’t fall I could possibly get-”

Ryoma then noticed he had walked to the front of the building, lost in his thoughts.

He looked around, taking in the scenery for a moment.

The spot where he was standing was part of a sidewalk spanning from the large front parking lot to the grand entrance. The brick path was lined with white stones and large enough for four people to walk comfortably. He could barely see some bike racks and a secondary entrance further down from where he walked. The main entrance almost looked like a castle, with a grand marble arch over two glass doors emblazoned with the crest of the school, a star with two flames surrounding either side.  
The building in general seemed to be a combination of the style of the oldest buildings at the school and modern architecture.

As he admired the style, he noticed the door opening, and his mother walking outside.

“Ryoma?" she said with a smile, "Are you looking for the dumpster?”

He shrugged and walked towards her.

“I guess I’m still upset. Xander’s stupid cart was in the middle of the road and I tripped. The main piece for the entrance is unusable now.”

Mikoto sighed.

“Was Sakura helping you? Is she okay?”

“No, she was inside setting up the vases for the offices.”

“Ryoma! That thing was as big as her! You should have asked for help.”

He put the bag down and scoffed.

“And you’re not going to blame Xander for leaving his cart where anyone could have hit it?!”

He immediately backed away, shocked at his own impatience.

Mikoto went up to him and put his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay Ryoma. We probably ruined some of his plans too. Besides, we have those extra potted plants for a reason. Just use some flowers from the stage pieces and we can make it work. I saw Hinoka’s car pass by a few minutes ago, and look, Takumi’s here and he can still use his car.”

Ryoma looked outside, and in the front parking lot there was Taukmi’s small white car, now with a dent in the back bumper. And out from it came his brother and Leo, both looking seconds away from ripping each other’s throats out. As they walked to the entrance, Ryoma could see them passing inaudible insults. Before they got to the door, Leo took a hard right to go around the building. Takumi walked in, his ponytail frazzled and sticking up all over the place.

He huffed and sat on the nearest bench.

“If I never have to see his stupid face again it would be a very good life for me.”

“Takumi!” Mikoto snapped.

“Mom!” Takumi exclaimed. “I’m just frustrated I got run into with his stupid car. I knew he wasn’t paying any attention.”

Mikoto walked over and took his head into his hands.

“Just remember that you’re okay and it’s neither your or his fault. You only got rear ended but Leo got sandwiched. Thank you for bringing him back Takumi.”

A soft kiss put on Takumi’s head made him blush.

“Mom I don’t need to be childed.”

“Then come work with me again. Both of you. I know you’re not best of friends with the Nohr family, but you have to ignore it to make today work. I’ll be setting up the tables with Hinoka in the banquet hall. You both unload and then help your younger sister.”

Mikoto brushed off her skirt, her way of showing she was done with the situation, and walked away.

Ryoma looked at Takumi.

“They’re all idiots.” Takumi said.

“Agreed.”

They had a small laugh together. Ryoma taking a second to appreciate his brother.

“Now go help your sister, Pineapple. I can’t believe you got in a car crash.”

“I’m sure whatever you did was worse you Lobster.”

“It wasn’t me, it was that dumbass with the bleached hair.”

“Ah, still doesn’t help me figure out which one you’re talking about!”

Ryoma let out a good chuckle at that.

“Oh well, as long as we avoid them, everything should be fine, right?”

From down the hall, their older sister’s yell bounced off the empty halls.

“CAMILLA!”


	2. The Event - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--- = signifies a change in POV
> 
> Kamui (Corrin) uses they/them pronouns.

Xander rounded the corner - the now rickety cart carrying his only saved tray of scones and other pastries - out of the hallway and into a war zone.

Camilla and Hinoka were staring at each other, fists clenched and Hinoka's face almost as red as her hair.

Seems the temper did run in the family.

“You just knocked over half of the vases we brought in just one swoop! How is that even possible?” Hinoka yelled.

Camilla scoffed. “I turn around for one second and you manage to break something that I've never even heard of being able to break.”

“Well maybe it wouldn't have broken if you hadn't distracted me with the crash of 12 vases at once!” Hinoka gestured backwards, where Xander finally saw the cause of the issue.

Their espresso machine’s milk steamer had bent almost into a right angle, leaking water off the side of the table. Looking towards his sister he saw a puddle of blue and red flowers with glass strewn about. Why they decided to use actual glass instead of plastic eluded him.

“Hinoka. My sister and I have things we need to get done. If you don't mind helping to clean up-”

“You stay out of this Xander!” Hinoka turned on her toe to face him, but the leak she made had been greater than expected, and Xander watched as she overturned and slipped. She reached out for some sort of purchase-

And ripped the milk steamer clean off the machine.

Camilla in shock, stared for a second, then had to very suddenly cough. Which most definitely was not a cover for a laugh.

Xander barely saw Hinoka's face turn the same color her family's loves to wear of before she stormed off towards the front of the building.

Camilla and Xander shared a look. Then they both fell into a polite chuckle.

“Well brother, I suppose we have the spare handheld steamer for a reason now. I expect the cost to fix the machine will offset all of, this.” She gestured at the floor around her.

“I suppose its close. When we get back I can see what I can do about the steamer.” Xander picked the broken steamer off of the ground. The threading that used to hold it in place looked rough, but might be salvageable. Another project for another day.

As he started to look around for a mop and broom, he saw Elise walking into the hall with a broom and a smile.

“I heard the crash and thought you might need this.” Then, she pouted.”I just couldn't find the mop where i saw it earlier.”

And then Sakura walked in with her mother and the aforementioned mop.

Sakura spoke, “You mean this mop Elise? I found it lying in the hallway still wet. I t-thought it might be more useful here.”

Xander knew Sakura, and he also knew his little sister. Sakura was gentle spoken, while his sister was energetic and sweet. They went to the same school, and they even had similar activities. If any members of the families might be friends, it was them.

The charged look the youngest sisters gave each other at that moment rivaled every argument he had heard that morning.

There was a beat, and then Elise looked back at him, smiled, and went to sweep up the glass. Mikoto giving Xander a polite wave before they both left again. 

Xander took a mental note to ask Elise how her band’s chair placements went.

\-----

The weather was clear and brilliant when the venue was finally set up.

Ryoma took his first deep breath in an hour when Mikoto went to place the final arrangement in the final office. His siblings all took a moment to just sit on the floor of the band hall. The two story room lined with lockers and decorated with a few minimalist pieces.

“Guys.” Hinoka sighed. “Can we just appreciate that we managed to pull this together even with-” she shot a glance at their mother through the office’s window, “Even with the damn Nohrs.”

“Language.” Takumi deadpanned.

“And where mom can see you too Hen.” Sakura laughed. “How adventurous.”

Hinoka rolled her eyes.

“It's over now, and that's all that matters.” Ryoma reminded them. “Anything we lost today can be billed to them. I'm sure their father will have plenty to pay with.”

“Whatever.” Takumi laid down, loosening his ponytail as he went. “Teardown is going to be a nightmare, but hopefully they should be out of here before then. Unless they somehow found a way to mass produce dinner.”

Mikoto came back into the room, folding up the checklists and putting them in her back pocket.

“Ryoma, would you be a dear and take your siblings for lunch. I have to talk to the directors for a bit before I can go.”

She tossed her car keys at him, where he caught them without thinking. 

“Alright. But only if we go to the conveyor belt place.” Ryoma said, standing up. 

Hinoka groaned. “Ryo you ALWAYS want sushi, can we get some fast food for once.”

Ryoma twirled the keys on his pointer finger, “Conveyor belt sushi is fast food Hen. Maybe if you toughened up and ate more sashimi you'd be able to actually appreciate that we live near an ocean.”

“What do you mean we live near the ocean? We're an hour away from the nearest coast line. It's been forever since we've had Burger Exalt anyway and they're having a special-”

“Sushi or I just take you home and we eat the leftovers you were so keen to put away.”

Hinoka, preferring defeat over stale chicken, slouched her shoulders and followed her brother out the door. Ryoma smiled at her as they walked through the building one last time. Takumi and Elise followed quickly, opening their phones to talk to their friends who were waking up at the reasonable time of 10 o'clock.

As he passed by the banquet hall, he vaguely saw the Nohrs again, sitting around on the tables they set while not talking.

He wondered if they even talked to each other outside of please and thank you.

\---

Xander looked over the shared spreadsheet one last time.

Each sibling had their own section, all updating on the one online sheet so they never had to carry a clipboard and paper ever again. Not even mentioning the notes they could cheekily add on.

_Napkins - Done / Perfected by elise <3_

_Serving Displays - 5/5 / +1 mangled cart centerpiece_

_Xander chuckled as he watched his brother add onto his last update._

_Scones Warmed - 1 of 1 - RIP the sweet basil, forever in our hearts_

He looked back to view their work so far.

A reasonable buffet, not a full one by any means, was laid out underneath heat lamps. Two tables were placed at an angle to give Camilla a full barista set up, complete with coolers for milk and two types of espresso.

All they had to do was wait for the building to officially open in 30 minutes and then they would be right back on their feet.

But for the moment, they could take a breath. Camilla had claimed the small stage as a lounge, Elise with her feet on a chair, and Leo deciding sitting on the table itself was a comfortable option.

Xander was ever grateful for their wonderful employees, especially when they had to leave on weekends for events. He could only imagine the rush they were getting at this moment back at the shop. 

He unlocked his phone and settled on playing some sudoku to pass the time, but his brother was playing some gacha game too loudly and his sisters had their earbuds in to drown it out.

Xander looked around for Camilla's purse. She always kept his headphones for him when he needed it. When he realized he was having no luck, he sent a message.

-  
_X: Camilla where's your purse. I need my headphones please._

_CamCam ;): i believe it's still in my car, check the passenger seat when you get there_

_🦁: y do you need them tho. the thing starts in 15. by the time you get back it'll be time to serve_

_Ewise!: leo if i have to hear some anime person say their name one more time ill chuck yoir phone oit the window that's why_

_Ewise!: *your, out_

_🦁: eli ive told you over and over /i cant choose what the best characters in the game say/. it hurts me more than it hurts you_

_CamCam ;): maybe you can make them change it with another one of your extensive blog posts_

_🦁: listen i got at least 600 hits on that and some comments. i think i make a lot of good points on why the most recent game is trash_

_CamCam ;): oh you mean the game that got 9/10s on every review?_

_🦁 is typing…_  
-

If anything, Xander could appreciate his eldest sister’s devotion to teasing his brother. Leo shooting her a dangerous stare while she mimed a laugh.

It only took him a minute or two to reach her car. The black four-door was impeccably clean with only the trash from breakfast still in it. In the passenger seat was an unnecessarily large black leather bag with some cute keychains attached to it. Xander opened the door to get his headphones out of it.

As he closed the door he saw a white car driving by, the Hoshidos all packed within. From what Xander could see it was just packed with arguing siblings, Hinoka in the front seat turning and yelling at Takumi.

He wondered if they even enjoyed the others company.

\-----

The day went by in a blur after that. One minute Xander was relaxing in the banquet hall, the next he was taking orders and helping his oldest sister while 20 people waited in line. The event was open to the public, but catering was only provided for donors that day. People lined up in business casual ordering every imaginable drink tested the family, but events like these were common place. 

Overall the only problems were due to the one bad steamer they were forced to use. Other than that, the event went swimmingly. Elise charmed people and handed out business cards, Leo stayed on top of the serving table answering questions, and Camilla proved her barista skills yet again with Xander switching between taking orders and making drinks. 

It was three when they finally got to see their missing sibling.

Elise was the first to notice her in the hall.

“Azura!”

She quickly got out of her business mindset to run over and hug her middle sister. Azura didn't join them today because she had a performance. She was one of the only freshman given the opportunity.

And the other lucky freshman was beside her.

Elise grabbed onto her sisters simple white dress and looked to her friend.

“Oh Kamui! How did your performance go?”

Kamui laughed and put a hand through their white hair. Azura had a joint performance with them, she danced and sang while Kamui played piano. Their suit matched the white and grey of Azura's knee length dress.

“Well, it went. I wouldn't say it was the best but we powered through.”

Xander always found Kamui to be the most likable of the Hoshidans, naive, but sincere. It was mostly because of Azura that they were so comfortable. They had been best friends ever since middle school, and Kamui once hosted Azura for a week when Azura did certain things Garon didn’t “agree” with.

They were the only Hoshido Xander might ever view positively.

Xander looked to Camilla, “Cam I'm going to say hi to Azura, she just walked in.”

“Yup.” Camilla said, focused on measuring out an “extra strong” hazelnut latte.

Xander walked out to meet his sibling.

“Hello little bluebird.” Azura looked up at his greeting and smiled. He embraced her in a strong hug, lifting her and putting her down.

“I'm sorry we all had to miss your performance Azura, any other time and we wouldn't have missed it for the world.”

Azura laughed, “Xander if you weren't showing up to every recital I might have been upset, but you have. And it wasn't much at all, just one song.”

“That doesn't matter, I'm always just happy to see you dance.”

He looked over at Kamui, who seemed a little anxious.

“Um… I heard about this morning. Sorry about the scones.”

Xander sighed, “It's alright little Kamui. I still had a few that survived. There might be one or two left now.”

Kamui’s face brightened. They loved his scones, everyone loved his scones. Even people who didn't like scones liked his scones. The only people who didn't appreciate his scones were the rest of their family.

It couldn't be helped, he suppose, when they could take their work for granted every time they make something.

He went back behind the counter once the group reached the front. Letting Camilla get a chance to talk with her sisters while Xander took over making drinks. His sister’s loud greeting fading into background noise as Xander started pressing the espresso.

He knew his sister well. A hot black tea with honey. Something to ease her throat when she sang and sweet, without the bitter taste of coffee. Kaumi also had their own special drink: A cappuccino with chocolate and raspberry sauce. 

Xander took no time at all to prepare the drinks. Although he would never reach the efficiency of his older sister, Xander took pride in his ability to perfect recipes and make unique drinks. He poured and mixed flavors, ignoring the world around him for just a second before handing two drinks to his sister and her best friend.

“I just assumed your usual. I hope you don’t mind.”

They both eagerly took their drinks, Kamui wasting no time in sipping and consequently burning their tongue.

Azura smiled, “It’s just what I wanted Xandie. Thank you big brother.”

Xander smiled at her, before feeling an eerie sensation.

He looked up to see their father walking in, in business clothes with two other men of seemingly high standard.

Any cheer he had before was suddenly replaced with fear. He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand before anything else.

“Camilla, Elise, behind the counter.”

Elise looked up worried, before following her brother’s line of vision to see her father and his acquaintances walking towards them. She made a tight smile before briskly walking to Leo and grabbing a tray of puff pastry samples. Camilla nodded to Kamui and Azura before joining Xander. His blue-haired sister taking Kamui’s arm, looking back once at her father, and walked away towards the tables. Leo could see them later.

It was always nerve wracking when his father came in to judge them.

Xander focused on serving the couple just behind his sister, his smile never faltering as Garon drew closer. His hands were not shaking as he handed two dollars back to the woman as they walked away.

And his voice most certainly was courteous and polite as he addressed his father, the way that was drilled into him through hours and hours of training.

“Good day Mr. Nohr, are you and your companions enjoying the event today?” Xander said, smile present and eyes attentive to his customers.

Garon smiled at him, gesturing to his companions. “Now see, he always refers to me with my last name during business. Please Xander, just call me father, no need to be as formal with me.” His acquaintances nodded, impressed by the unexpected formality from a cafe worker.

It was all just a trick, something Garon had trained Xander on to impress his colleagues.

“Of course, father.” Keep the smile going, he thought. “Will you be having your usual today?”

“Yes Xander, and make something nice for Mr. Lowell and his husband. We were just talking about trying the new flavor we got.”

Xander barely knew the people, but recognized the name from a long line of high donors to the school. One of them, looking up through blue hair, smiled and asked for cappuccinos for both of them.

“Of course.” Before Xander could state their price, his father stepped in with the last line of the play.

“And Xander, don’t mind to make them pay, they’re my treat for today.” His colleagues smiled and thanked him, pleased with the transaction they had.

Garon continued, “Now my youngest son, Leo, is over at the pastries. All that we still have is warm and soft. Go ahead and ask him for a recommendation.”

As the couple left, chattering happily about pastries and coffee, Garon’s smile dropped cold. He looked back at Xander and Camilla, Xander meeting his steel eyes.

“Xander.” Garon said, softly and coldly. “Where are the name tags.”

Xander felt a cold sweat on his neck. His smile also left his lips.

“My apologies, father. They were left in the cabinet. I should have remembered to bring them. It is wholly my fault and unprofessional.”

Garon’s brow furrowed. “And you had all day to get them. Unfortunate. I also talked to Mrs. Hoshido about this morning. She will be paying me for our broken equipment. Start packing up, our block ends in an hour and I will not have a single complaint from anyone about our time.” And with that, he walked away.

Garon lingered for another minute, talking to the couple. Then Camilla delivered their drinks, the couple thanked her, and all three left again.

Xander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to alleviate some sort of stress. He had one hour left to work. And then they would leave for the day, giving him until eight to rest with his family for the weekend.

They could make it, the worst was already over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends The Event. This was mostly to set up the tension between the families and get a little into the Nohrian side of things. The next chapters are going to be more slice-of-life style as we see the day to day workings of both locations. Hopefully you can already see some differences between the families (Hoshido siblings talking vs. Nohr siblings texting).
> 
> I can also already tell this is going to be a SUPER slow burn hopefully. We shall see how much I enjoy dragging it out before I also snap.
> 
> Next chapter will also introduce more characters in either the cafe or the floral shop. We shall see which one inspires me more this week!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm currently writing this as I can with college and stuff. I hope you're enjoying the fights and petty because expect more for a long time.
> 
> I'm excited to write for this, I have experience in floral design and working in a coffee shop! Get ready for at least 1 rant from someone over starbucks.


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